bacterial vaginosis

noun

Updated on: 23 Mar 2018

Definition of bacterial vaginosis

: vaginitis that is marked by a grayish vaginal discharge usually of foul odor and that is associated with the presence of excessive amounts of some bacteria (especially Gardnerella vaginalis) — called also nonspecific vaginitis

Recent Examples of bacterial vaginosis from the Web

May estimates that something like Gardnerella vaginalis, an agent of the infection bacterial vaginosis, typically won’t live on a hard surface longer than a day or two.

— lindsey lanquist, SELF, "How to Clean Your Sex Toys So You Can Use Them Safely," 15 Mar. 2018
Reducing the vagina’s acidity can allow harmful bacteria to thrive and cause an infection, like bacterial vaginosis, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

— ashley oerman, Cosmopolitan, "15 Ways You’re Using Tampons Wrong," 30 Apr. 2015
First of all, this sounds like a horrible yeast infection or case of bacterial vaginosis waiting to happen.

— monique judge, The Root, "Stop Sticking Fruit in Your Vagina," 15 Feb. 2018
Similar mixtures of bacteria could be added to the skin or the vagina for those who suffer from conditions like atopic dermatitis or bacterial vaginosis.

— tara smith, SELF, "Are Probiotics Anything More Than Hype?," 14 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bacterial vaginosis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of bacterial vaginosis

1983

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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Medical Dictionary

bacterial vaginosis

noun bacterial vag·i·no·sis \ -ˌvaj-ə-ˈnō-səs \

medical Definition of bacterial vaginosis

: vaginitis that is marked by a grayish vaginal discharge usually of foul odor and that is associated with the presence of a bacterium especially of the genus Gardnerella (G. vaginalis synonym Haemophilus vaginalis) —abbreviation BV — called also nonspecific vaginitis